


lights down low

by poutings



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Lily is a good friend, M/M, Marauders' Era, as usual peter barely talks bc i hate him, james knows everything, sirius and remus are dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 15:54:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11993028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poutings/pseuds/poutings
Summary: Remus asks Sirius for a favor that makes him realize he likes him as more than a friend after all





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus has a favor to ask

“Okay, how do I look?”

Remus glances up from his book to see Sirius finally walk out of the bathroom. “Ravishing,” he says, standing up from his bed and turning to head towards the door. 

“Moony,” Sirius whines. “Be honest.”

Remus turns back around, eyeing Sirius. “You’re just in your uniform, Padfoot. I’m not sure what you want me to say. You look as good as you always do.”

Sirius’ cheeks pink a little. “Okay,” he says. 

“Okay,” Remus repeats. “Now can we go to breakfast? Prongs and Wormtail left an hour ago.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sirius says, brushing past Remus and walking out of the door. 

Remus follows him and they walk down to the Great Hall together. They’re relatively quiet on their way there, nothing but the sound of Remus’ heart beating out of his chest every time Sirius’ hand brushes against his. 

They get to the doors and Remus desperately tries to get his heartbeat under control, sure that Sirius will hear it even over the hum of conversation coming from their fellow students. 

He glances at him on their way to James and Peter, deciding that, no, Sirius _can’t_ hear his heart trying to escape his body and throw itself into Sirius’ hands. 

“So nice of you to join us, gentlemen,” James says around a mouthful of toast. 

Remus and Sirius sit down across from him and Peter.

“You know Sirius takes longer than Lily and her friends combined to get ready,” Remus says, reaching for the serving spoon to pile scrambled eggs on his plate. 

Sirius elbows him in the side. “Sod off.”

James laughs. “He’s right, though.”

“We missed breakfast yesterday waiting for you,” Peter says.

Sirius glares at them, choosing to ignore their comments in favor of piling his own plate high with food. 

Remus hands him the spoon for the eggs and Sirius trades him for two pieces of bacon. It’s easy. It’s _routine_. Remus’ heart has finally slowed down with Sirius’ leg pressed against his and James’ easy smile in their direction. 

“Better hurry, lads,” James says, wiping his plate with his finger. Remus makes a face. “Transfiguration starts in ten.”

“Fuck,” Sirius says, shoving the last of his toast in his mouth and reaching for his pumpkin juice. 

“Maybe you should worry less about your appearance and more about your classes,” Remus says, wiping his mouth on his napkin. 

“Why would I ever want to do that, Moony?”

Remus shakes his head. He knows this is a lost cause. No matter how many times he tells Sirius he doesn’t need the extra twenty minutes in front of the mirror—he looks good the second he rolls out of bed, he really doesn’t need _any_ time in front of the mirror—it does nothing but inflate his ego and sometimes _increase_ his time spent in the morning.

“Onwards!” James shouts, standing up after confirming that they’ve all finished their food. 

Sirius laughs, tripping over Remus’ bag in his haste to meet James at the end of the table. “My noble steed!” he shouts, jumping onto James’ back.

“Greater men than I have fallen under the weight of Sirius Black,” he says gravely. Remus rolls his eyes and walks next to Peter. “But,” James says, “I will not fail!” He heads off down the hall with Sirius still on his back, both of them laughing like mad. 

Remus feels a smile spread across his face, big and uncontrollable. 

They make it to Transfiguration on time, James slightly heaving and Sirius still laughing. 

Remus pulls him off of James and pushes him towards a desk, reaching out to steady James when he pretends to faint. 

“Oh, Moony,” James sighs, draping himself over Remus. “Sweet, sweet Moony.”

“Oi,” Sirius calls, “get off him. You know Moony’s mine.”

Remus shoves James into the chair on the other side of Sirius, a smile still on his face. “You’re both ridiculous,” he says. 

“But you love us,” they say at the same time. 

“I still don’t know why,” Remus jokes. 

“Boys,” McGonagall calls. “Are we ready to begin?”

They all sober up and nod their heads, a chorus of “Yes, Professor” coming from their mouths. 

“Good.”

As soon as class is over, Sirius is pulling Remus up and out of his chair, insisting there’s something extremely important he has to show him. 

“Sirius, honestly,” Remus huffs as soon as they’re outside. “What is it?”

“Just down here, Moony, it’s—”

“Remus!” someone shouts, making Sirius stop. “Remus! Wait up!”

“Oh no,” Remus mutters.

“What?” Sirius asks, twisting around to watch the boy coming towards them. “Who is that?”

“No one,” Remus says quickly. Sirius just stares at him. “Sirius,” he says, slower. “I need you to kiss me.”

“What?”

“I need you to kiss me,” Remus repeats.

“Remus!” the boy calls again. He’s getting closer.

“Right now, preferably,” Remus says, grabbing Sirius by his shoulders. 

“Moony,” Sirius starts, trying to take a step away. 

“Sirius,” Remus pleads, the desperation in his voice very clear. “I need you to kiss me now.”

When Sirius still doesn’t do anything, Remus puts his hands on Sirius’ faces and pulls him closer. 

“Please,” Remus says just as the boy shouts his name again. Remus looks over his shoulder—he’s almost to them.

He turns back to Sirius just as Sirius puts his hands on Remus’ waist and tugs him closer. “Fine,” he breathes and connects their lips. 

Remus breathes in sharply, his hands going to the back of Sirius’ neck. He hears the boy gasp behind them. 

This is working. He’ll finally leave Remus alone. He’ll get the hint now, he’ll— _oh_ , is that Sirius’ tongue sliding across his lips. 

Fuck. It is. 

Remus opens his mouth, letting Sirius dart his tongue into his mouth. His hands have moved from his waist to the small of his back, one of them still trailing upwards and then down his arm, taking his hand and entwining their fingers. 

Sirius’ tongue brushes against his own and Remus gasps into his mouth. He slides a hand into Sirius’ hair, twisting a couple at the nape of his neck around his finger. 

Finally, he hears the boy huff and walk away, and Remus pulls away from Sirius. 

They’re both breathless, standing there with their chests heaving. 

Remus sighs and rests his head against Sirius’ shoulder for a second. “Thanks,” he breathes. “I owe you one.”

“Moony,” Sirius says, pushing him back by his shoulders and holding him at arms length. “What was that about? Who was that?”

“Thomas,” Remus says. “He’s been following me around for ages. I’ve told him no thousands of times, but he never gets it. I needed him to get it,” he says, hoping Sirius will understand. 

And hoping that this wasn’t a giant mistake. Having his best friend kiss him just to get a boy to leave him alone. God, it seems incredibly stupid now that Remus thinks about it. If only he’d thought about it _before_ it happened. 

Sirius just nods his head, not meeting Remus’ eyes. “Right,” he says. “Well, I’m glad I could help.” He smiles at him and Remus lets out a breath. 

He’s suddenly unbearably appreciative of Sirius’ easygoing nature. 

“Should we go find Prongs and Wormtail?” Sirius asks, grabbing Remus by the elbow and dragging him back to the castle before he can answer. 

Remus briefly wonders what it was Sirius wanted to show him in the first place, but lets the thought slip from his mind as Sirius’ hand comes to rest on the small of his back, pushing him up the hill. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius has a bit of a breakdown

“And then he just asked me to kiss him!” Sirius shouts, throwing his hands up in the air. 

James sits in front of him, his face frustratingly blank. 

“Jamie,” Sirius hisses, snapping his fingers. “Are you hearing what I’m saying? I _kissed_ Moony.”

“Yeah,” James says slowly. “I heard you. I don’t understand why you're freaking out. You like him don’t you?”

“I—what?” Sirius splutters. 

Did he like Remus? 

He thinks of all the times they’ve shared a bed, the warmth of Remus’ body next to his keeping his nightmares at bay and his heartbeat steady. He thinks of all the times he purposefully let his hand brush against his as they walked side by side, that voice in the back of his head telling him to _just grab it and hold it_. He thinks of all the times he kissed someone and thought that something felt off, that something was wrong. He thinks of all the times his stomach did that weird flip when Remus smiled that small and secretive smile that Sirius knew was just for him. 

“Fuck,” he breathes. “Yeah, I do. I like Moony.” Sirius gives a breathless laugh and James tilts his head at him.

“What? You mean you didn’t already know you liked him?” 

“No, it's news to me,” he says honestly. 

“Well, I don’t know how you didn’t see it mate. Pete and I have known for ages. You can totally tell by the way you look at him—all puppy eyes and puckered lips and—”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Sirius says, cutting him off. 

“What took you so long to figure it out?” James asks. 

“I don’t know. I always knew I loved him, but I just assumed it was as a friend. Though, if I’m being honest, he was always different than you. Or Pete." Sirius shrugs. “He hadn’t kissed me before,” he says sheepishly. 

James laughs, loud and open and Sirius smiles at him, thankful for his friend’s easy acceptance of everything. “Are you going to do it again?”

“What?” 

“Are you going to kiss him again?”

“Oh.” Sirius thinks about it. He definitely _wants_ to. He remembers the taste of Remus’ tongue in his mouth. “Fuck yes," he says. “Definitely.” 

James laughs again. “When, mate?” 

Sirius starts to answer but then a thought hits him. “Do you think Moony feels the same way?” he asks, suddenly nervous.

James opens his mouth, but Sirius doesn’t let him get a word out.

“Fuck, Prongs, what if he doesn’t? He only asked me to kiss him because that bloke Thomas wouldn't leave him alone. What if it meant nothing to him? What if he doesn’t want to do it again?

Sirius paces back and forth, his hands in his hair. 

“Calm down,” James says, getting up to stand in front of him. “He definitely likes you. You can see it in the way he looks at you, too,” he assures him.

“But what if it’s just as a friend?”

“It’s not.”

“But how can you be sure? What if it really was just a one time thing and Moony never wants to kiss me again? God,” Sirius says, “what if he hated it? What if he doesn’t want to speak to me again because of it?”

“You’re overreacting.” James puts his hands on Sirius’ shoulders. “Just relax. Breathe. Yeah, like that, good. Better?”

Sirius nods. 

“Okay,” James says, taking a step back from him. “Now stop. Remus would never just stop talking to you. He’s acting perfectly normal—”

“That’s just it—”

“Shut up,” James says. “I’m trying to talk some sense into you. Remus likes you. Believe me. And from how you described the kiss—three times, mind you. I really didn’t need to hear about Remus’ tongue in your mouth _three bloody times_ —it sounds like he definitely enjoyed it.”

Sirius is quiet. James is right. “I should find him,” he says. “Where is he, anyway?”

“Still in the Common Room probably. Since you grabbed me and dragged me up here the second you walked in and abandoned him to sit with Peter while he pathetically tried to flirt with Marlene,” James laughs.

Sirius groans. “He probably thinks I hate him for it.”

“Would you stop it?” James says, hitting him on the shoulder.

“No, really. You know how Moony can be, overthinking everything that happens.”

James nods slowly. “We’ll come up with a plan and then you’ll go down there.”

“Okay,” Sirius says. “Okay. A plan. That’s good.”

What can he do? He can’t just storm down into the Common Room and kiss him in front of everyone. Remus won’t like that—he doesn’t like being the center of attention if he can help it, Sirius knows that. 

Maybe he’ll take him to that little patch of grass on the edge of the Forbidden Forest where he tried to take him earlier. It’s getting close to the golden hour and when the sun hits the leaves, it makes the whole alcove glow. Remus will love it. 

“I have it,” Sirius says, looking at James. 

He tells him his plan, and James’ face lights up when he talks about the alcove.

“Moony’s going to love it, Pads,” James says, smiling. 

“I hope so,” Sirius says quietly, his heart is beating fast, eager to get to Remus.

He can’t believe he only just realized he has feelings for his best friend and he’s already planning on acting on them. 

He’s nervous, but he has a feeling in his gut that it’ll go well. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their second (and third and fourth) kiss

Remus sits on the couch, watching as Peter makes a fool of himself in front of Marlene. He cringes as Peter slips his hand up her leg.

“Awful, isn't it?" Lily asks, sitting on the couch next to him.

Remus lets out a breath, thankful for a distraction from the train wreck happening so close to him. “I don’t know how she stands it,” he says.

“Oh, we’ll hear all about it later,” Lily assures him. “And it won’t be good.”

Remus laughs.

“Hey, what’s up with you?” Lily asks, placing a hand on his knee. “You seem not yourself.”

“Um,” Remus says, wondering whether or not to tell her about the legion of butterflies that have made a home in his stomach since Sirius kissed him earlier. He sighs. “You know Thomas, right?"

Lily nods. “Ravenclaw. Fifth year. What about him?”

“That’s him,” Remus says with a small grimace. “Well, he’s been rather…taken with me recently and he wouldn’t leave me alone for the longest time. I kept trying to tell him I wasn’t interested, but he never seemed to get the hint—and it was a big hint. I wasn’t being subtle about not liking him.”

Lily laughs a little. “Poor kid.”

Remus makes a face at her. “Yeah, well, anyway. I was outside with Sirius earlier and I heard him calling for me, so I decided to do something a little drastic to make him understand that I wanted him to just leave me alone.”

Lily watches him, staying quiet and waiting for him to continue. He looks at her for a little, trying to get his heartbeat to calm and those goddamn butterflies to stop their parade. 

“I kissed Sirius,” he finally blurts.

Lily blinks. “You just kissed him?” she asks, and Remus can tell she’s trying to keep back a smile. “In the middle of the grounds?”

Remus nods. “Yeah, I kind of asked him to kiss me.”

“You asked him?” she repeats slowly.

Remus nods again. He wasn’t just going to kiss Sirius out of the blue. “I can’t stop thinking about it,” he admits quietly. 

Lily finally lets her smile loose and it’s soft and kind. “You really like him, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Remus breathes. “I have for a while. But I’ve never done anything about it. I never thought he felt the same.”

Lily shakes her head, laughing. “Remus Lupin, if there’s anything I’m sure about, it’s that Sirius Black is completely enamored of you.”

Remus smiles at her. “I didn’t used to think so. But now…” he trails off, his mind going back to their kiss on the lawn—the way Sirius’ hand had slid down to entwine in his, and the feeling of his lips. 

Lily just smiles at him, about to say something, but then Sirius comes crashing down the stairs, looking a little wild and a lot determined. 

“Moony,” he says with a smile, coming to a stop in front of him. “I’d like to request your company.”

Remus laughs. “You may have it,” he says.

Sirius glances at Lily. “Your _personal_ company,” he says. 

“Oh.” Remus stands up, turning to Lily to tell her he’ll talk to her later.

“Take all the time you want,” Lily replies with a smile. 

Sirius holds his hand out to him and Remus laughs, shoving him away playfully but walking close by his side on their way out of the portrait hole. 

“Where are you taking me?” he asks as they get to the entrance to the castle. 

“A special place,” Sirius says. 

Remus looks at him when he doesn’t elaborate. Sirius leads him down the pathway to the Forbidden Forest, taking a turn by the tree they usually sit under. 

“It’s just over here,” Sirius tells him, pushing back a branch to let Remus walk by. 

They come to a stop in a small alcove, and Remus lets out a breath, stepping into the center of the circle of grass and looking up at the trees above them. The sun hits the leaves and completely lights up the area, casting a soft golden hue over everything. 

Remus turns to look at Sirius, his face glowing just as much—maybe even brighter—than the leaves around them, and a smile almost splitting his face in two. 

“Moony,” he says softly, reaching out a hand to pull Remus closer to him. “You still owe me one.”

Remus smiles. “I do, don’t I?” he says, his heart beating in time with the leaves swaying in the slight breeze. 

Sirius nods, lifting a hand to the back of Remus’ neck. “Yeah,” he says and kisses him. 

Remus leans into him, his hands going to Sirius’ hair for the second time that day. He tilts his head a little to get a better angle, opening his mouth when Sirius asks a question with the slight press of his tongue.

They kiss for hours or minutes before they pull apart, their heavy breaths mingling as they rest their foreheads against each other. 

“I’m glad I figured it out,” Sirius says, and Remus feels every word against his own mouth.

“Figured what out?” he asks.

“You,” Sirius responds. 

Remus’ cheeks hurt from smiling. 

“Me, too,” he says, leaning back in to kiss Sirius again. 

Later that night, as Sirius lays in Remus’ bed with his head over his heart, Remus _knows_ that he hears how fast it's beating. He can’t help but think Sirius looks like an angel: his hair in his face and the thin line of light coming through the bed curtain laying across his back. Remus runs his hand in small circles across it. 

The curtain pulls back a bit and James’ face comes into view, the two of them looking up to see him smiling at them. “I’m happy for you two,” he says. 

Remus has never felt happier than he has in this moment, and that includes the first time his friends had revealed that they had mastered their Animagus forms. 

“Thanks, Jamie,” Sirius says. 

Remus gives James a smile and he nods, letting the curtain fall back into place. 

“Jamie’s a right soppy git,” Sirius says, lifting his head up to smile at Remus. 

Remus pushes Sirius’ hair back with his hand and gives him a smile. 

“So are you, Moony,” Sirius says fondly. He scoots up so he can kiss Remus softly. 

“You love it,” Remus says softly.

“I do,” Sirius says with a smile, pulling Remus up for another kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. as usual sorry for any mistakes. you all know I'm shit at editing.


End file.
